Old-fashioned Fourth of July Fun

Games and races and watermelon at the Ozark Folk Center State Park

Mountain View, Arkansas – – Fourth of July Friday is full of good, old-fashioned family fun at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. The Craft Village opens at 10 a.m. and all the crafts people will be in their workshops, creating, demonstrating and selling their handcrafted works. Hands-on opportunities in the park include learning to turn your own top on a lathe; learning how to spin old-time tops; stick horses, tom walkers and hoop games; color-dipping candles; weaving on a loom; learning to play a canjo; turning a clay pot on a wheel; printing a book mark; Picnic Swing rides and much more. Some of the hands-on activities have a small charge.

There will be live acoustic music performances by the Roger Fountain band six times during the day at 10:15 / 11:15 / 12:15 / 1:45 / 2:45 / 3:45. Roger is a well-known fiddle virtuoso who has encouraged many young people to learn the fiddle. He and his band will liven up your holiday.

The Smokehouse Snack Bar will be selling hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream and their famous fried pies in the Craft Village, right next to the Picnic Pavilion. Right across the street, the Skillet Restaurant will be serving their fantastically fine southern cooking.

Starting at 2:30 p.m. you will want to gather up on the Administration Building green space for games and races for all ages. We will start with the Sack Race in sets divided by ages. Next is the Egg and Spoon Race, followed by the highly entertaining Cracker Whistling Contest. At 3:30 the park staff will be serving free watermelon at the Picnic Pavilion. Save your seeds. Starting at 3:45 we will have the famous Seed Spitting Contest. The record here at the Ozark Folk Center State Park is 29-feet, 4-inches, set in 2012. We look forward to a new record this year. Games, races and watermelon are all included in the admission price.

The Ozark Folk Center State Park is located at 1032 Park Avenue in Mountain View. Follow the signs to the Ozark Folk Center State Park, less than a mile from the Courthouse Square in downtown Mountain View. The park may also be reached by taking Hwy 5/9/14 (Sylamore Ave) to Jimmy Driftwood Parkway, which leads directly to the park entrance.

The Craft Village at the Ozark Folk Center State Park is regularly open Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. Regular admission to the Ozark Folk Center Craft Village is $12.00 for adults or $7.00 for children 6-12, children under 6 are free. A listing of classes, concerts and upcoming events is available on the Ozark Folk Center State Park web site at www.ozarkfolkcenter.com. For more information, call the park at 870-269-3851.